Enigma
by Ritska
Summary: Harry Potter disappeared Hallowe'en Night, after his parents were killed. Not a trace of him remained. The only guess the entire wizarding community has is that Voldemort took him and killed him separately, in some sort of blood ritual. Perseus Black shows up at Hogwarts in 1991, like Harry Potter would have. (Full summery inside, also note that rating may change.)
1. Prologue

Full Summery: Remember those old myths about Hallowe'en night? How kids would go missing if they weren't with their parents?  
How would that change if your parents were killed by the darkest force the world had ever experienced? What if that dark force stole you away in the dead of night?

Harry Potter disappeared Hallowe'en Night, after his parents were killed. Not a trace of him remained. The only guess the entire wizarding community has is that Voldemort took him and killed him separately, in some sort of blood ritual.  
Perseus Black shows up at Hogwarts in 1991, like Harry Potter would have, along with a host of other kids. He was born January 27th, 1980, to a dead father and dying mother. Raised by the Malfoys and a hidden Lord, he is expected to be a weapon for the Dark.  
How will his upbringing influence the Boy Who went Missing?

Prologue

**Hiding was something that one couldn't do when being hunted by my Dark Lord. Still, some tried, and they all failed - some doomed to a fate far worse than death. Perhaps it was then known that escape was futile, that no matter where they went they would be found, caught, killed, similar to livestock. Livestock, mindless beasts, that's all they are. Toys to be thrown away once they've lost their appeal. Some of his toys lost their novelty some weeks ago.. I can't particularly say that I pity them; my Lord had a rather good reason to destroy the family, even if I did know them rather personally.**

**P.P.**

**November 27th, 1981**

A giant man tried to walk through a mess of broken boards and fought his way up a pile of rubble to the second floor. One body found; a loving husband, a caring father, dead on the stairs of his very own house. The giant continued to the nursery, doing his best to avoid breathing in the subtle scent that permeated the house. He walked through the doorframe, the door left in pieces along the wall opposite. On the floor in front of a crib laid the still body of a former mother and wife. He tried not to look, for if he did, he would be unable to complete his mission. As he made his way to the crib, he noticed that something was off; the house was too quiet to hold the baby that he had been sent for.

Falling to his knees, he let tears roll down his cheeks. In a shaking voice, he whispered his apology.

"James… Lily… 'm sorry I couldn' protect ye or yer son." His voice broke on the last word, just before he broke into loud sobs.

A soft 'pop' sounded in the air behind the giant, just before two hands touched his shoulders. One was kind and soft, the other a bit more toughened and hard, but both were wrinkled.

"Hagrid… You've done the best you could. The most we can do now is hope for Harry's safety." A soft voice spoke, belonging to an older man who wore periwinkle robes dotted with stars.

"Perhaps little Harry isn't injured. He may just turn up at Hogwarts once he's eleven," a gentler voice said, distinctly not matching with the woman's character.

Hagrid nodded numbly, unable to form intelligible words, and slowly stood and left. He had a flying motorcycle to return.

"We should be going now." The woman said after a few moments of silence.

Just then, another man walked through the door of that very same house. He walked towards what remained of the stairs, not bothering to check the body that laid off to the side. He efficiently climbed the rubble, dusted himself off, and sighed; he had one mission in coming here. As he kept walking, he heard quiet, muffled voices sounding as he reached the nursery. Once in the doorway, he stopped and spoke in disbelief.

"Albus?"

The discussion in the nursery stopped as the two occupants turned to the spy.

"Severus," Albus whispered in surprise.

Dark eyes flickered down to the woman lying on the floor next to the crib, her rich green eyes dull and lifeless. Her skin was slowly turning a paler shade than it had been, taking on a blue tint. He looked back up at Albus sharply, anger flaring in the same eyes that had looked upon his dead love.

"You said you would protect them!" He spoke quietly, anger straining his voice.

"I'm sorry. I never saw this coming. No one did." Albus replied. "I always thought he would just kill Harry, if it came to that."

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" Severus asked confused, "Where's the boy?"

The three occupants look to each other before Albus replied. "He took the boy, for reasons that are unknown to us. It confuses me just thinking about it." A single phrase ended their conversation, "The muggles are coming, Severus, Minerva."

Without another word, Severus turned on his heel and Disapparated with a loud 'crack.' Albus and Minerva followed suit, relaxing once they stood in the familiar hall of an old school.  
After a few moments, Albus looked over to his companion. "He went back. He'll probably

send in a report later."

"I hope he does; we need to know what he's planning and how we should prepare. This war will be nasty."


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**To Hogwarts we Travel**

**I believe I have everything I need to win this war. I have everything that I will need to change the world and eradicate those unworthy of our knowledge. The wizarding society can become prosperous once again, under my rule and my heir's rule.**

**Perhaps the death toll will not need to be so high. I do hate wasting the oldest, purest blood we have to offer. I've had more than my fair share of spilling and wasting it.**

**They waltz across my dreams, those whom I have killed. I don't regret it. They stood in the way of my goals, and now I use their precious weapon against them. How they will scream in pain and terror when they realise that I cannot be brought down by mere children, playing as soldiers. I think I'll enjoy the coming war more than I enjoyed the last one. I expect to succeed. After all, children cannot fight a man's war.**

**T.R.**

**September 23, 1990**

With a soft sigh, the dark-haired boy looked up at the train. He and his guardian stood in a shadowy corner, waiting for the platform to clear just a bit.

"Must I go?" He looked up, a hint of desperation bleeding into his voice. "I already know more than they do, and you know I'd much rather stay back at the manor."

"If we are to succeed and help the Lord in his mission, you must go this year and no later." Came the reply in a low voice. "It's time for you to board the train. Find Malfoy and Parkinson, sit with them for a bit and instruct them of their duties. Find me once you arrive at the castle and have been Sorted."

He sighed softly and nodded, pulling away from the taller man. "I'll see you at the castle, _professor_." When he heard no reply, he walked towards the crowd of kids boarding the train and slipped among them, disappearing from sight.

Once on the Hogwarts Express, the young boy avoided, evaded, and dodged all the other children while walking and observing each of them as he passed by. They all seemed so easily excited. Hogwarts wasn't something to get excited about, not until later, when the war was really and truly started.

There were only a few more hours before his belongings, placed in a magically expanded trunk, were taken to Hogwarts, where his mission would begin.

_**Flashback**_

* * *

_He'd had no time to waste, before their departure to the train station, so he'd returned to his room and written letters to a few friends. Of course, it was ordered, but it was also a chance to have some fun, maybe tease some of the less fortunate on the train. He'd just had to phrase everything right so his friends knew it had been ordered, and the words were still open to interpretation should the letters be intercepted._

_His friends, his team, the words were interchangeable. All that Perseus truly know was that he had first been introduced to them around the same time his training had started. They were to become his inner circle, he had been told, and the group was to expand once Perseus came of age and could select trustworthy members himself._

_Perhaps the girl would become like a sister to him, and the other boy would be a brother. No, that wouldn't work; they would be too close to plot about the very things they would need to… At best, Perseus figured, they could be friends under the guise of knowing each other due to the highblooded society. _

_The black-haired boy shook his head and sat at his desk, pulling out some parchment and a quill. Their plan must be known before they were to set foot in the train, so they could discuss and make more specific parts to every single step of the mission. They would need the whole year to complete it._

_Tapping his chin thoughtfully, he smiled as he realised how he should word the letters. One would not be nearly as in depth, and the other would be far more cryptic. He could explain their roles later, though Perseus himself was to remain the leader of the mission. It was he who had been ordered to complete the mission with the help of his trio; he would get the most recognition for success of the mission regardless of who managed to retrieve the object the Lord sought._

_The mission would be a secret to all who were not involved. The old fool would know, as would the children of those in the inner circle, after their task was completed._

* * *

When they started to disperse, he took his time looking for Malfoy and Parkinson. As his thoughts were just about to lull to the back of his mind, a girl, about his age, bumped right into him. Considering the speed at which they had both been walking, and then the force of their collision, it wasn't a surprise that they both fell.

What was surprising was how they fell. The girl, whose hair was surprisingly frizzy, landed right on his chest and hard. They stayed there for a minute, both trying to figure out what exactly had happened. At the same moment, they looked at each other.

"Oi, get off!" The young boy yelled once he realised that the situation was a bit more unexpected than he thought. Internally, he sneered; only the lowest in the wizarding community would have the audacity to make the mistake of bumping into him, if he had a choice.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't watch where I was going. I should have been more careful. I'm sorry." The young girl apologised profusely as she got off of him and helped him up. "Sorry about that again. By the way, my name is Hermione. Hermione Granger."

"You apologise too much." In his head, he sneered at her Muggle last name. Filth after all.

"Well, what's your name?" Hermione asked him, trying not to take offence from his words.

After a moment of silence, she spoke again. Her words were more demanding and a tad impatient.

"Well? I'm waiting."

"Perseus."

"It's nice to meet you, Perseus," Hermione said as she held out her hand for him to shake, guessing she was lucky to get even a first name. He glanced at it, blinked once, and walked away. He wasn't really that interested in some filthy Muggleborn girl who used an accident as a way to make a friend, he told himself. He ranked far above her.

"Well, that was rude." Hermione sighed to herself as she walked back to her seat. In her reading, _Hogwarts, A History_, she could tell Perseus had qualities from several houses. He was nearly as brash as a Gryffindor, and as avoidant as some Slytherins were depicted to be, and easily seemed the intelligent type.

"Oi, Hermione, you alright? You've been staring at that book ever since you got back. Did something happen?" A red headed young boy sitting next to her asked.

"Oh, it was nothing. I just ran into another boy and he was, for the lack of a better term, interesting." She replied.

"What does that have to do with the book?"

"Ron, are you really that naïve? I was trying to see what house he would best fit in. He, of course, hardly seems the loyal type, or, for that matter, nice."

"Why don't you leave the sorting to the Sorting Hat?" He asked, seriously wondering if he had made a mistake in asking if he could sit with her. The girl had seemed a bit odd at first, but he was beginning to think she was absolutely barmy.

"I want to see if I'm right." She sniffed, turning to walk back to her reading. Hermione already wore her robes, determined to get used to them before they arrived at the school. She would not make herself look like an idiot Muggleborn witch, after all. The students she needed to impress were those in her own year.

"I suggest you get changed into your robes. You don't want to make yourself look like a fool when we get there." Hermione said to him.

He looked down at his clothes and examined them for a moment. Of course, the one thing he couldn't see was the smudge of dirt on his nose. "How else would I make myself look like an idiot? I'm already friends with you." He blinked innocently, flinching when Hermione raised her hand.

Perseus was searching for Malfoy and Parkinson. He looked around in all of the cars - each and every one with the same elaborate design - and was becoming quite frustrated that he had yet to find them. About ready to give up and go somewhere else, he finally spotted them. "Finally." He muttered under his breath, his frustration dissipating.

"Took you long enough." A boy with piercing blonde hair said to him, wearing a light smile. Beyond the illusion - it would come into play at Hogwarts - that they were acquaintances, he and Perseus were actually really good friends, adoptive brothers. Kinda came with the package, since Perseus had been taken in by Narcissa, his first cousin, once removed.

"Well, you didn't exactly make yourselves easy to find." Perseus huffed childishly with his words, but he wasn't truly angry. His posture relaxed, from a rigidly straight back to a relaxed almost-hunch. He had been taught better than to stand without a straight back. It simply wasn't becoming of a young pureblood like himself.

"Sit. Make yourself comfortable. Merlin knows we'll need to; it's going to be a long ride." Perseus complied, staring at Malfoy questioningly. He stared right back, knowing he had something to say. "Well, what is it?" The blond asked.

Another moment of silence passed until Perseus replied, "What do you think about Hogwarts? And don't tell me anything that your father has said, because I won't believe you."

"Why does it matter? Why do you want to know?" Malfoy asked, curious, though he didn't know that was Perseus' reasoning as well.

"Just curious to see what you think is all." He replied, surprisingly honest. Malfoy seemed to ponder this for a minute before responding.

"You really want to know what I think?" After a slight pause he continued. "I think Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, is a joke. The whole school is a joke. Especially Dumbledore. My father says he's nothing more than a barmy old man. The only reason we're going there is… Well, you know." He whispered the last part, as if afraid someone would hear about their undiscussed plan. "If it wasn't for _that _we would be attending Durmstrang."

"Well, I guess you'll just have to see the school for yourself. Obviously your father has had a big impact on your opinion about it." Perseus replied apathetically. Malfoy only scoffed in response, about to say something when he was interrupted.

"Anything from the trolley?! Anything from the trolley?!" A woman, about average height, yells as she walks by most of the students. She stops next to the young Malfoy, Perseus, and Parkinson. "Anything from the trolley, dears?" She asked sweetly.

"If we wanted anything from the trolley, we would have said something by now." Malfoy replied, regarding her with eyes he would only have saved for muggles.

"No, thank you, ma'am. Excuse his manners." Perseus apologised to the woman, giving a small, polite smile.

She smiled back at them and replied, "It's quite alright. Just let me know if you change your minds." She walked away with her trolley of candies, calling out to the students..

"So, can you fill me in?" Parkinson asked them.

"On your job?" Malfoy clarified.

"Yes."

"Your job is to keep quiet and cooperate and see if you can gather more information. Keep all of it between us, and if we find out you say anything to anyone else you're off the mission for good. You should be honored, Parkinson. _He_ chose _you_ out of everyone else to keep this a secret. You better make _him_ proud, because we can't decide your fate if he's disappointed." Malfoy instructed as well as threatened, a dark look in his eyes.

Parkinson, in the tense silence that followed, wondered why Perseus couldn't help. After all, after his father had died, he had been taken in by their Lord, raised and taught by him. The Lord favoured him, even above his most prized followers, even if he had pushed Perseus on to another family.

It did seem that their Lord gave Perseus special treatment, like he actually meant something to him, but why did Perseus matter to him? He wasn't any different than the rest of them after all. Even with everything Perseus has been through, he's not really that different than the rest of them. Is he?

"Do you think we should change into our robes? It looks like everyone else is getting into them." Parkinson asked while looking at the students through the window, trying to derail herself from thoughts that could, actually, eventually lead to death.

Indeed, there were many students roaming the train, dressed in their robes. Most were upper years; they moved with a confidence that the first years simply couldn't have known, as well as school colors. One could see redheads, blondes, brunettes, and the rare head of dyed hair from a Muggleborn child, all wearing the robes that were required at Hogwarts.

"Not now. I think we can relax for a little while." Malfoy replied as he stared out the window to the other students. "Plus most of them look like upper years. No need to waste our time doing it now."

"Isn't that why we should do it?" Perseus asked as he too, looked at the upper years.

"We're first years; we'll have an excuse." His blond friend replied.

"But we're also purebloods. We have to show other first years that we are better and already know Hogwarts tradition." Perseus pointed out, looking out the window as he recalled precisely what Lucius, his adoptive father, had taught them about pureblood circles. Malfoy seemed to ponder this for a moment.

He gave a nod and said, "Alright, fine. Let's change."

"Wait." Perseus and and Malfoy turn back to Parkinson. "What do we do about the _contents_ of your letter when we get there?" Perseus and Malfoy shared a look. "First we locate it." Perseus said then hesitated, as if afraid of saying anything else. Again, Malfoy and Perseus shared a look.

"Then?"

"That in and of itself is going to take a while, but when we finally do find it we find the _professor _and tell him about it as quickly as possible." Malfoy answered matter-of-factly.

"What's going to happen after that?" Parkinson asked, obviously wanting all the details that she had not gotten in her letter. Perseus and his adoptive brother had shared one last look, agreeing to lie without speaking a word.

"We don't know yet. We'll cross that bridge when we get there, and no sooner." Perseus replied as Malfoy continued to eye him carefully. Their friend couldn't know everything, after all.


End file.
